Organization

Downtown during Oktoberfest

Union Square - Today

Hickory Downtown Development Association (HDDA) is a private, non-profit
501 (c)6 organization with a thirteen member volunteer Board of Directors.
Funding for the organization is comprised of membership dues, grants,
donations, and event sponsorships.

Mission Statement

“ To physically and culturally improve downtown Hickory as a place of
commerce, recreation, and culture of the people of Hickory and the greater
metro area.”

Hickory Downtown Vision 2022

Supporting your life well crafted, Downtown Hickory serves as the gathering center for varied recreation and entertainment. Downtown is the hub of owner-operated local businesses, corporate headquarters, and urban living.

Union Square - Early 1900s

Main Avenue
(Now Union Square) - 1960

2nd Street NW - 1960

History

Hickory began as a small piedmont city whose growth and development
moved it from a late nineteenth-century trading center on the Western
North Carolina Railroad to a thriving twentieth-century manufacturing
center for furniture, hosiery and textiles.

The history and development of Hickory has been divided into five stages
of growth. The earliest phase began at the end of the eighteenth century
and ended with the outbreak of the Civil War (1769-1860).

The second phase began when the Civil War ended, as the city's population
and economy expanded as well as increased development in cultural and
educational facilities (1861-1900). This second phase lasted until around
1901, when the establishment of the first large-scale furniture plant
made permanent changes in the manufacturing business. From 1901 until
the onset of World War I in 1917, many furniture factories as well as
hosiery and textile mills were built in the city's realm resulting in
a rise in population, service industries and building activity.

During World War I, construction in the city declined only to be followed
by a large increase in population and housing needs, growth of businesses
and manufacturing companies, and the extension of public services rendered
by local government (1918-1940).

Growth since 1940- After World War II Hickory continued growing and
by 1961 the city boasted forty-six furniture plants, eight-nine hosiery
mills, twenty-seven other manufactories, and a population of 37,000 people.
A vast urban renewal project as well as continual redevelopment also
accompanied this period of growth. Much of the historic fabric of Hickory's
downtown was removed or drastically altered in the 1960s and 1970s, leaving
gaping holes in the urban landscape. Yet, this period also saw the emergence
of historic preservation efforts in Hickory, a trend that has grown in
scope by instilling pride in the city's past by encouraging the appreciation,
preservation, and continued use of Hickory's historic resources.